Air travel is becoming more and more challenging as airlines try to keep costs in line while they maintain good customer service. As a traveler, you can do your part to make your trip more enjoyable by knowing what to expect if your flight is delayed, canceled or overbooked and if you can claim flight delay compensation.

Flight Delays

Airlines do their best to get you where you are going on time, but sometimes delays are inevitable. A delay can be the result of a mechanical issue with the plane, or weather conditions anywhere along your route. No matter the cause, flight delays are a fact of life when you fly. What many travelers don’t realize is that delayed flight compensation is not a given. In fact, airlines are not required to compensate you in any way if your flight is delayed.

Some airlines offer a form of delayed flight compensation if you are delayed in the airport or after you have already boarded the plane. You may receive a credit that you can use the next time you fly on that airline, or you may be provided with free food, drinks or movies once the flight gets underway.

Sometimes a flight is delayed after it has left the gate, due to traffic or a mechanical issue. Airlines are prohibited from keeping a plane full of passengers waiting on the tarmac for more than three hours, unless a return to the gate would disrupt operations, or if there is a concern for safety or security.

Cancelations

As with delays, the airline is not required to compensate you if your flight is canceled. They are required to book you on the next flight to your destination, as long as there is an available seat. During peak travel times, like Thanksgiving and school breaks, this may mean that you have to wait several hours or even overnight. There is no requirement for the airline to pay for you to stay overnight in a hotel, or to pay for meals, although some airlines may do this if the cancelation is deemed to be their fault.

Overbooked flights

Airlines try to book their flights as efficiently as possible. Sometimes they sell more tickets than they have seats because they are expecting that some travelers won’t show up. Or, they may have to substitute a smaller plane, leaving some customers without seats. The airline will usually ask people if they will voluntarily give up their seat in exchange for a seat on a subsequent flight plus a voucher for future travel. If they don’t get enough volunteers, they can ‘bump’ you to a later flight. In this case, they are required to compensate you for twice the cost of your ticket if your delay is under two hours, or four times the cost if you are more than two hours late to your destination.

Understanding the facts about flight delays, cancelations and overbookings can help you have a smoother travel experience. By planning ahead and allowing plenty of time for connections, you increase your chances of getting where you’re going on time.

]]>http://www.darwinsmoney.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-delayed-flight-compensation/feed/0http://www.darwinsmoney.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-delayed-flight-compensation/Bridging the college to corporate gap in a smooth transitionhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DarwinsMoney/~3/Xw2EBU6xlns/
http://www.darwinsmoney.com/bridging-the-college-to-corporate-gap-in-a-smooth-transition/#respondTue, 22 Nov 2016 20:35:38 +0000http://www.darwinsmoney.com/?p=1825

Not every change in life is smooth sailing; and the transition from college to the professional life happens to be one of the most challenging and stressful one. Knowing how best to handle it will therefore relieve you of much pain that most graduates undergo as they try to reconfigure their brains to shift from the student operating system to a professional mode. The transition should not be a tough one though if you set your priorities right and manage your expectations well.

Some of the high ranking issues you need to get alignment with as you transition from being a student to being a full time corporate professional include the following:

Budgeting and personal finance management

Coming from a scenario where you were used to meager college budgets and getting to the corporate huge monthly paycheck can be both confusing and deluding for entry level professionals fresh from college. What appears to be a huge sum of money at first might lead you to extravagant spending which will eventually leave you penniless towards the end of the month. In worst cases, you might end up sinking into debt as you always rely on your end month paycheck to clear the accumulated credit debts over the month. If not monitored, this excessive expenditure might lock you into a debt trap such that you get enslaved to your job in order to keep repaying your recurring monthly debts.

To avoid such a scenario you will need to create monthly budgets and stick by them; while saving or investing the extra income earned. Opening a fixed deposit account where you can be regularly deposit your extra income on a monthly basis will help you keep the money out of reach and only withdraw it when necessary. Other ways you could make use of your extra income is by accumulating it until it is enough to invest in treasury bills or mutual funds that guarantee you higher rates of returns above prevailing inflation rates. You may also choose to engage in online trading in order to grow your savings. In this case you may need to work with a trusted online trading platform – for instance, in the case of Binary Options you should make sure you only work with known, regulated binary options brokers. Bottom line is; as much as you can always ensure you are saving and investing your savings in order to start your own path to financial freedom.

Time management

In you college days, you could miss out on a class and the lecturer would not necessarily have an issue with that. Another poor habit common among most college students is lateness in attending lectures or in submitting assignments. While these could be overlooked by the lecturers and other administrative staff in your college, the corporate world offers you a different response to these poor habits. If you find a good boss you will be given a notice first hen the weakness is identified and the second time you will receive a firing letter.

In the corporate world, systems are dynamic and everyone is always on the move in order to meet set deadlines and targets; you do not want to be the one holding your team back. Understanding your job description is very important as an entry level professional. However, your responsibility goes beyond mere understanding what you are supposed to do to actually delivering on your assignments and doing that on time. Setting realistic deadlines for specific work streams and ensuring you are aligned with your boss on the specific deliverable and when they are due will save you long hours of pressure and stress when rushing to finish client work in the last minute.

Work life balance

Unlike in college where you had long holidays where you could go out and have fun with family and friends to unwind from the routine class work and exams, in the corporate world your free time is limited. If you are lucky, you might get two weeks off per year and even then you might not have the advantage of when to go for leave. This means for about eight hours each day for the whole year you are glued to your office sit or somewhere in the field working with clients. Your social life may start deteriorating and in worst cases this might overflow into your physical health.

Thankfully, in most corporate jobs you will be having the weekend for yourself compared to campus days where you were always thinking about assignments and reading for exams during weekends. To strike a good balance between your work and your social life, you should spend the weekends exercising, catching up with friends and family as well as engaging in other personal development activities.

Every minute of your life is valuable when you are in the corporate world and you should make it count. The weekend should be your weekly unwinding time from the pressures and stresses that come with the fast corporate world in today’s dynamic business ecosystems.

If you are holding down a job, or you have passive income, you are ready to start building your investment portfolio. There are several things to consider, not least of which is your risk appetite. The most important thing for you to determine is whether you are a conservative investor or an aggressive investor. Conservative investors are risk averse and typically generates returns of approximately 8.55%, with a high of 30.42% returns and a low of -8%. A moderately conservative investor would generate slightly more average returns at 9.91%, high annual returns of 39.44% and -17.11% in the worst case.

Most folks fall into the investor profile deemed moderate. In this category, you can expect average annual returns of 11.01% with a high of around 46.75% and a low of -26.04%.

As we move across the spectrum, the next type of investor is a moderately aggressive investor. These types of people are risk-seeking, but not entirely loose cannons. You can expect to generate average annual returns of 11.50% with a high of 49.95% and a low of -30.44%. At the extreme end of the spectrum are aggressive investors. These folks are risk-seeking and are not scared to go all-in. Aggressive investors typically purchase things like biotechnology stocks, newly-listed companies, or other high-risk investments. An aggressive investor can expect average annual returns of 11.99% with a high of 53.21% and a low of -34.79%.

What Type of Asset Allocation Should You Be Looking to Create?

This is an interesting question, and it goes to the heart of the type of risk profile you have. Conservative investors naturally have less tolerance for high stock/equities holdings as these are the most volatile. So your financial portfolio will include more cash and fixed-interest bearing investments such as bonds. The precise allocation varies from one financial brokerage to another, but typically bonds and cash would make up 80% of the total asset allocation and stocks 20%. As we move across to the opposite end of the spectrum, we see that aggressive investors (risk-seeking investors) flip those numbers on their head. In other words, they have 80% stocks and 20% bonds and cash.

This Begs the Question: Why Are Stocks Perceived as Risky?

By and large, stocks are not guaranteed to perform at any point. Fixed-interest-bearing securities like certificates of deposit, Treasury bonds, savings accounts and the like guarantee a certain yield. Stocks are affected by any number of variables, including geopolitical news, interest-rates, economic data releases, company dynamics, and a myriad of other factors. The unpredictability (volatility) of stocks is well known, even big stocks. Since stocks are risky investments, most folks adopt a long-term approach. In order to generate positive returns, the intrinsic value of the stock must increase for an investor to reap the rewards.

Alternatives to Traditional Stock Market Investments

There are other ways to generate returns on stocks without waiting for them to appreciate in value. These are known as speculative trades. One popular option that is gaining traction with a large and growing trader base is binary options trading. Unlike traditional investments where you need to wait for the stock to appreciate in order to realise returns, binary option trades can generate in the money returns as long as your prediction is correct. There are only two ways that the price of a stock can move – up or down.

With this investment option, a speculative estimation is made as to the direction of price movement at expiry on the binary options platform. Each binary options trader provides different terms, but on TradePlus for instance, provided the assumption is correct, the trader will end in the money. It doesn’t matter whether a stock has appreciated. Since you don’t take ownership of the underlying asset, the only thing that matters is the price at expiry time. Fixed returns are guaranteed on in the money trades.

The perfect financial portfolio, if one exists, will balance your preference for risk with your preferred asset mix. You must also take your investment horizon into account. The closer you are to retirement, the less risky your overall approach. Younger investors have more flexibility to go for aggressive stocks that pay higher dividends. Fortunately, binary options trading allows you to generate up to 90% returns on in the money trades in next to no time at all. It compresses the entire investment timeframe. For these reasons, a balanced financial portfolio should include binary options as part of the mix.

]]>http://www.darwinsmoney.com/managing-a-contrarian-investment-portfolio/feed/0http://www.darwinsmoney.com/managing-a-contrarian-investment-portfolio/Trading CFD for Dummies: How to Make Money with Forexhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DarwinsMoney/~3/7pT5VgjDKQM/
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Let’s face it, not everyone is cut out for the high paced and intensive world that is trading stocks on the stock market. For many people it is too complicated and intimidating. For others, they aren’t willing or able to spend the time and effort that is necessary into learning about the markets, the best trading tactics, and how to best invest their money.

Lucky for them, there is a trading alternative that many traders find much easier. Trading foreign currencies online, also known as forex trading, is a great way to make some extra money by trading on the changing value of foreign currencies across the globe.

For the most up to date tips, tricks, and information on trading CFD for dummies, check out this link.

How to Begin Trading CFD for Dummies

So if you are considering online currency trading, how do you get started? Well the first step is to gather as much information about the industry as you can. This means spending time to read about currency values, how they are evaluated, how they fluctuate over time, and other factors related to the forex market.

Once you have a good understanding of how the markets work, you need to learn about trading forex and different strategies that can be used to successfully trade forex online. Each trader has his or her own tactic and it’s important to learn as much as you can about trading strategies before establishing your own plan of attack.

Choosing a Broker

This is probably the most important step to trading CFD for dummies and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You need to choose a broker that has all of the features and benefits that you need as a trader in order to make successful investments.

So what should your broker have? First, it should contain all of the up to date information about the markets including currency values and charts to help you understand how currencies are moving on the market.

Next, it should include a number of tools and mechanisms to help you evaluate the amount of capital you have, how much you have invested, and how much profit you are making. Similarly, there should be built in mechanisms to help prevent you from losing too much capital in case one of your trades doesn’t work out as you expected.

Don’t forget less technical sides of your broker as well. You want to stick to a broker that has customer service and can help you through any and every problem you will encounter. Some brokers even offer 24/7 service in local languages, that way you can be sure all of your questions will be answered.

Lastly, if you are looking into trading CFD for dummies, make sure you are using a regulated broker. You want to be sure your broker is regularly scrutinized by international bodies that check the broker’s activities. This way you can be sure your investments are protected and safe. If you follow these steps, then you are on the right path to trading forex in no time.

There are many financial assets you can trade online nowadays, such as bonds, stocks, currencies, indexes, trackers, commodities, and more. Online trading has recently become more popular, due to how accessible it has become. The only thing you really need is a device (tablet, computer, mobile) and an Internet connection, so wherever you are in the world, you can now easily check and manage your investments. So, what are the main advantages of online trading?

Now that you can access your investments online, your schedule can be a lot more flexible. You can invest whenever you want (particularly on the currency market, with its round-the-clock trading five days a week), from wherever you are, as long as you have Internet access.

This online access gives you another advantage: better control of your investment. As you don’t need to use an intermediary to open or close a trade anymore, you are more independent and involved in the process of each trade’s execution. You don’t need to wait for your orders to be executed, as the execution is immediate.

If you are not using an intermediary, trading fees and costs are then vastly cut down. This low cost side of online trading is very attractive. Most online brokers do not charge any commission, but instead take the difference between the ask price and the bid price, called the “spread,” so you’re not even paying broker fees for entering and exiting the market.

As with any business that uses the Internet, you online brokers give their traders access to state-of-the-art tools to make better trading decisions. The first thing to do is choose a trading platform with the best combination of tools and services for your needs. The UFX platform, for instance, provides great money management and risk management tools, advanced charts, mathematical indicators, direct customer support, and educational content.

The broker you choose should also depend on the markets you want to trade (FOREX, stock market, bond market. etc.) and the product you want to use, depending on your trading profile and your aversion to risk (CFDs, Warrants, Turbos etc.).

Most brokers will be able to provide real-time quotes for all your investments and assets you are monitoring, which will grant you real-time access to the value of your portfolio.

Buying a new home is one of the biggest investments you will make in your life, so you want to make sure you chose a home that is in great condition that you will love for years to come.

There’s nothing worse than buying a home only to find out months later that it’s not the home you thought it was, whether because you fell in love with it too quickly or because there are problems that are only then coming to your attention. So before you buy a home, you want to keep a few things in mind the next time you have a scheduled viewing or you visit an open house. Hopefully already you’ve secured a loan through a reputable source, like this mortgage company, and all you have to do is find the house you love.

Here’s what to look for:

Structural Damage

One of the most important things for you to find out as early as possible is if there is any structural damage that needs to be taken care. Just because a house has damage doesn’t mean it’s not worth buying, but you definitely want to get any problems fixed before you buy it and the repairs fall on you.

The first thing to look for is a damaged roof. This may be hard to find from the ground, but if it’s damaged enough, there will be signs. As you approach the house, look for any signs of sagging that may indicate a poor roof structure that can eventually lead to leaking. You should also be able to see if there are any singles missing around the edge of the roof.

Also, as you walk the property, look for any cracks in the foundation. Sometimes, cracks are a natural result of the shifting ground, but if neglected, they can lead to serious problems like instability and flooding. Foundations are expensive to fix, so make sure you talk to your realtor before buying a house with cracks.

Don’t Hate the Paint

If you are looking at multiple houses, there will be a time when you walk into a room and say, “eww, who chose that paint color?” When this happens, don’t let it affect your decision making.

Paint can always be replaced. Rather than allowing the paint to make your decision, look past it and imagine what the room would look like in a color you love. Look at the space of the room and any features like crown moulding or chair rails that show a great skeleton underneath that awful paint. If the house is right for you, you can repaint the walls whatever color you want as soon as you move in.

Don’t let paint distract you from more important things, either. Look for cracks in walls and flooring, or electric outlets that are in disrepair. These are far more important than the color of the room.

Mold

As you tour the house, look in areas that are typically wet for signs of a mold infestation. Mold is a dangerous problem, so you want to make sure the house is mold-free before you buy.

Look underneath sinks and in the wall corners near showers and bathtubs. These areas can get wet very easily and mold can quickly become a problem. If you find any leaks underneath sinks, this is also a good time to ask about any plumbing issues and to check for mold in other areas, such as near the water heater and the place where the main water line enters the house.

Mold doesn’t mean that the house should be taken off your list, but you should proceed with caution and make sure the problem is eliminated before buying.

A Professional Opinion

Once you have found the house you love and have satisfactorily looked over everything, get a professional to look as well. Professional inspectors can find things that you may have overlooked and have the problems fixed before you move in.

The truth of the matter is that every home with have a few defects and professionals can find them even if you can’t. They can also look for dangerous materials such as lead paint and find subtle problems with insect and termite infestations that may not have been readily noticeable.

Sure, a professional inspection may cost a little, but it’ll cost a lot less than dealing with a major problem a few years down the road.

Before you buy a home, look for these few things and you should find the one you want.

Paul Jameson is a property accountant who writes articles most months for a variety of real estate and property relevant sites as he shares his tips with first time buyers, investors and those looking to upsize or downsize their properties.